Night Writer - London Clarke

I couldn't be more thrilled to introduce you to author of chills, London Clarke. We're bringing back Gothic Suspense, and I hope you've brought a torch because it is going to get dark in here. 🔦

Author London Clarke

About London

Obsessed with vampires and haunted houses from a young age, London grew up reading gothic tales featuring romantic and tragic heroes like Wuthering Heights and Dracula. She considers herself a recovering runaway and confesses that she once moved to England in search of a man who was the perfect amalgamation of Dracula, Hamlet, Heathcliff, and Mr. Rochester. London graduated from George Mason University with a B.A. in Music and M.F.A in Creative Writing and has had an eclectic array of jobs including receptionist, legal secretary, literary assistant, high school English teacher, and freelance editor.

London lives in a Washington, DC suburb with her husband and two greyhounds. She’s happiest when she’s writing novels, reading books, or re-watching her favorite programs like The Vampire Diaries or Being Human.

About London's Books

Get it Here

WILDFELL

Anne Fleming is running away.

An ill-fated relationship with her graduate school professor drives Anne to dispose of all her possessions, assume a new identity, and board a London-bound plane. But a chance meeting on that flight leads her to Wildfell, a gothic mansion with a cast of strange characters and a long history of disappearances and deaths.

While living at Wildfell, Anne is plagued by voices, ghostly mists, and a mute girl with a sketchbook full of murders. She only remains because of her strong attraction to a fellow inhabitant—gorgeous actor Bain Tierney. But when Wildfell tenants begin disappearing one by one, Anne must decide if she trusts Bain. Is anyone in the house who they claim to be? Or are there are other forces at work inside Wildfell? And will they ever let her leave?

Get it Here

THE MEADOWS

A decades-old murder. A blood-thirsty cult. And a house full of spirits.

When songwriter Scarlett DeHaven leaves Nashville and her old life behind, it’s supposed to be a new beginning, a fresh start in the Shenandoah Valley, where her memories aren’t riddled with drug addiction and rehab. There’s the possibility for healing, tranquility, and love. But after purchasing an abandoned house with a checkered past in the hopes of transforming it into a luxury bed and breakfast, strange things start to happen. Disturbing voices and noises interrupt her new life. Strangers appear, bearing cryptic warnings. A tunnel is discovered underneath the house—one historically used for a local cult’s rituals. After a late-night encounter with an entity that leaves her injured, Scarlett realizes she is being targeted by violent spirits.

Driven to the edge of despair, Scarlett vows to fight back—but she has no idea what she’s really battling. And her nightmare is just beginning…

The Meadows is a gripping supernatural thriller in which the monsters may be
vampires, demons, or flesh and blood. It is a nightmare that will make you
believe it could easily happen to you.

My Q&A with London

Was there anything specific that drew you to this genre?

I’ve been drawn to scary books and stories since I was in the second grade. I think it started with my grandfather asking me to write a ghost story. After that, I read any scary books I could get my hands on. When I was in the fourth grade, ABC started playing re-runs of the 1960s soap opera Dark Shadows, and I became obsessed with Collingwood and Barnabas Collins, and then my whole vampire obsession began. And it has never ended. ☺

What is your favorite Paranormal/Dark/Gothic novel?

Actually, by today’s standards, this probably wouldn’t be considered paranormal, but it’s definitely gothic. Wuthering Heights is really my favorite novel ever. A close second would be Dracula, and then I love all modern/contemporary gothic stuff.

What is your favorite Gothic motif/theme/element? Any particular reason why?

Yes. The house. I love the house on the hill or by the ocean, and the weather’s always stormy and the house itself is creepy and perhaps has supernatural occurrences going on. Maybe it’s actually haunted or maybe it just has the appearance of being so—either way works for me. I adore vampires, of course, and then the idea of the “madwoman in the attic” made so popular by Jane Eyre. Insanity in any form always works well with this genre. These motifs are spooky, mysterious, romantic, and they may or may not have a resolution or a reason for them, but they make for page-turning stories. I love the atmospheric element of the gothic—it’s an escape.

Which resource/s helped you the most in researching for or writing your paranormal/dark/gothic novel/series?

Wildfell was set in London, so I relied on some of my British friends to give me details about places and procedural things. I lived in London for a little while, so I had some idea of areas and layout, but I needed specific streets and answers to “what would happen if…” I also did a lot of Google searches for tube maps and bus schedules.

For The Meadows, I did more research about paranormal groups and their investigations. I watched a lot of Paranormal Witness and A Haunting episodes. I also had to do a bit of research on rural Virginia, but I don’t live to far from the supposed spot of The Meadows, so that wasn’t very hard. Reading popular and bestselling mystery and thriller authors actually helps me a lot with reinforcing my story arc and dialogue.

What’s next for you? Is there anything you can tell us about it?

Yes. Next up is Whickering Place, the second book in the Legacy of Darkness series. It’s the follow-on novel to The Meadows, although it’s set in Asheville, North Carolina. It casts mostly different characters from The Meadows, but demonologist Hunter Massabrook will reappear in the second one as well. It should be out by April. After that, I have a standalone, Dunraven, which will be set in Wales. That one will come out toward the end of the year.

And finally, is there anything else you would like to share with others who write or are looking to write Paranormal/Dark/Gothic Romance? Any tips? Any groups they should be checking out? Any places they should be visiting, etc.

I’m really glad that gothic/scary books are making a comeback. I feel like there has been a huge dearth of such books in the past, and I hope there will be many more people writing them in the future. I suggest Paranormal Romance Guild as a group to join. They’re awesome people, very helpful, and they offer lots of resources to writers in this genre. And I recommend reading the oldies but goodies. Victoria Holt’s gothic romances are just the best. And of course, V.C. Andrews original books. They’re great examples of originality and world-building.

If you can visit England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, do. There is no end to the gothic inspiration in those settings.

Where can we stalk you on the web?

Yes! I love web-stalkers. You'll quickly find out ALL my obsessions.

Website: LondonClarke.com

Facebook: London Clarke

Twitter: @londonclarke2

Pinterest: @londonclarkeauthor


Thank you so much for sharing, London!

Stay beautifully haunted, Night Writers,

🖤 Shadow.

Night Writer - Rebecca Rivard

I want to introduce you to USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Rivard. I invited her to join me today to share her deliciously dark romance novels and impart some of her writerly wisdom.

USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Rivard read way too many romances as a teenager, little realizing she was actually preparing for a career. She now spends her days with dark shifters, sexy fae and alpha vampires—which has to be the best job ever.

SEDUCING THE SUN FAE (#1, the Fada Shapeshifters series) was a 2016 EPIC Awards Finalist for Best Fantasy/Paranormal Romance, and her novella ENSNARED: A VAMPIRE BLOOD COURTESANS ROMANCE was a Night Owl Reviews Top Pick (5 stars).

Her latest release is STEALING ULA (#0.5, the Fada Shapeshifters series).

The Dark Side of Romance

First, I want to thank Shadow for having me on her blog today. She’s awesome, and I’m honored she invited me.

I have books in two series, both of which are romance on the dark side. I have my own Fada Shapeshifters series which features dark shifters and beautiful but dangerous fae, and I also have a novella Ensnared: A Vampire Blood Courtesans Romance, that part of Michelle Fox’s bestselling Vampire Blood Courtesans series.

Shifters with a touch of darkness…

For the Fada Shapeshifters series, I actually didn’t set out to write dark books, and yet the books have Goth elements—particularly, the dark, complicated hero. In my world, shapeshifters are called fada, and they’re a mix of fae, animal and human genes. They were born in Dionysus’s bacchanalia—wild, orgiastic rites that have become so dark that some clans have banned them.

Seducing the Sun Fae (#1, Fada Shapeshifters) begins as a fada alpha is observing a sun fae queen from a stream. He finds her incredibly sexy, but she’s been stealing energy from his clan—and he intends to stop her, whatever it takes. In the very first scene, he’s debating whether to kill her or not. He decides to kidnap her instead—and the plot is launched.

And in Claiming Valeria (#2, Fada Shapeshifters), Valeria is kidnapped by Petros, a rogue Greek fada who still follows the old ways, including the banned bacchanalia...

Here’s an excerpt:

The path led to a clearing at the center of the island presided over by a tall, slim oak. Petros tapped on the trunk as he spoke some words in ancient Greek, and a magical doorway opened, which by some three-dimensional sleight-of-hand expanded until its width was greater than the actual tree trunk. Stairs led into the shadowy depths below.

Valeria’s spine iced. She knew, with a deep, inner certainty, that dark souls waited at the bottom of those stairs. Her knees locked and she forgot all about waiting for a chance to escape. She just wanted to stay above ground. ~Claiming Valeria, ©2015 Rebecca Rivard

Learn more: http://rebeccarivard.com/shapeshifters/

Then there are the fae in my Fada Shapeshifter series. I have three main types: sun fae, ice fae and night fae. The night fae are the darkest, and I absolutely picture them as Goth. They are tall and black-haired with chalk-white skin—and mesmerizingly beautiful (as all fae are). They’re night walkers, the vampires of the fae world who feed on dark energy—fear, anger, jealousy…

Dark, Sexy Vampires…

Which leads me to vampires… I’ve been fascinated by night walkers since I first read Bram Stoker’s Dracula as a sixteen-year-old, followed quickly by Anne Rice’s Interview with a Vampire.

I had so much fun writing the dark French vampire Remy in my book Ensnared: A Vampire Blood Courtesans Romance. In the Blood Courtesans world, the vampires are out—and they’re rich and powerful. They hire blood courtesans to provide them with the two things they want most—sex and blood.

Remy is a dark, sexy vampire who is used to getting whatever he wants—and he wants a struggling young artist named Star. He engineers things so that Star has no choice but to be his blood courtesan. But his old, cold heart is about to be cracked open by love.

Here’s where Star first sees Remy. She’s sitting on her stoop one early morning, when:

Suddenly the robin went silent as if it had been choked in mid-note. The squirrel froze and then whisked itself into the tree branches.

Every hair on my body stood straight up.

I looked around. There. A dark swirl at the end of the block…and then a man emerged from the shadows like a grim, powerful magician.

My breath hitched. The man was gorgeous: broad shoulders, black hair that curled over his collar and a face too beautiful to be real. He and his sleek charcoal suit stood out in my working-class neighborhood like a Ferrari in a sea of Fords.

Wariness skittered up my spine. He was too out of place. Rich, gorgeous men didn’t walk down our street. Ever.

And they didn’t stare as if they knew me…or wanted to.

~Ensnared: A Vampire Blood Courtesans Romance, ©2016 Rebecca Rivard and Michelle Fox

Learn more: http://rebeccarivard.com/vampires/


The appeal of the dark side…

So why do my books have a touch of darkness? Blackness, evil, warring desires, dangerous secrets—all create conflict. They suck you into the story by raising the stakes for all the characters.

My favorite Gothic element would have to be the bad-boy Byronic hero—the beautiful, wounded man hiding a dark Gift or a secret wound. The heroes of Claiming Valeria and Tempting the Dryad especially fit that template.

I’ve read everything Edgar Allan Poe ever wrote—two or three times. I also fell in love with Charles Baudelaire’s poetry, especially Les Fleurs du Mal (Flowers of Evil). And I have a dog-eared copy of The Annotated Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (introduction and notes by Leonard Wolf).

The fair lady/dark lady theme is also fascinating. I like to mix it up and have elements of both types in the same woman, as I did with the sun fae queen Cleia in Seducing the Sun Fae. She’s both a seductress and a healer; the ruler of all the sun fae and yet a woman who craves a bit of domination in the bedroom.

My books draw on a variety of mythology around the world—the rites of Dionysus, Celtic mythology, sun goddesses (did you know there’s a Japanese sun goddess known as Amaterasu?), as well as elements of Wicca. But mostly, I make it up as I go along—and I make sure to keep a detailed series bible so I don’t forget some aspect as the world grows more intricate.

For the Blood Courtesans books, the authors borrowed some of the standard vampire mythology, and some we made up. For instance:

- The vampires drink wine, but they don't eat.

- Drinking some of the vamp's blood creates a blood bond that the vampire can then use to link telepathically or to control a human.

-Some vampires, especially the older ones, can take sunlight and they have reflections.

- Sex improves the taste of their “food.” Hence, the desire for a blood courtesan…

- The vampires are super-fast and can leap out of tall buildings without hurting themselves. Supervamp!

- They can't be killed even by a bullet to a heart, although it slows them down. But ripping off a vampire’s head kills them for good.

So What’s a Series Bible?

One of the smartest things any author can do is keep a series bible, especially if you’re writing in a fantasy/paranormal world. My bible lists the Fada and Fae by type (water fada, earth fada, sun fae, ice fae, etc.), and also what’s unique about each race. I then list each character under the appropriate type, including a description, any photos and the character’s Gift. If the character is a shifter, I list what animal(s) he or she changes into to.

I also keep simple maps and descriptions of each clan’s territory.

If you’re writing a series and you haven’t started a series bible yet, do it—today. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

Hugs, and enjoy the read!
~Rebecca

Thank you so much for sharing, Rebecca! 

Where to find her:

Website: http://www.rebeccarivard.com/
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/8hWFH
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaRivardRomance
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13746124.Rebecca_Rivard
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebecca.rivard/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/@rivardromance
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/rebecca-rivard

Definitely follow, like, and subscribe! And be sure to check out her books. You won't regret it!


☙ Shadow ❧